Matt Damon and George Clooney respond to Weinstein scandal

Some of Hollywood’s top actors are throwing their voices into the mix after recent revelations about Miramax heavyweight Harvey Weinstein‘s predatory behavior with women in the industry.

A-listers George Clooney and Matt Damon hit up Good Morning America to promote their upcoming film Suburbicon, which opens in theaters this Friday. During the interview they both commented on what they knew about Weinstein.

Matt admitted he knew of Gwyneth Paltrow‘s run-in with Weinstein, whom she accused of harassing her, and said that in his opinion, Weinstein was every bit the jerk people knew him to be, revealing, “You had to spend five minutes with him to know he was a bully, he was intimidating. That was his legend. That was his whole M.O. When people say everybody knew, yeah, I knew that he was an asshole. He was proud of that. That’s how he carried himself. I knew he was a womanizer. I wouldn’t want to be married to the guy, but that’s not my business, really. But this level of criminal sexual predation is not something that I ever thought was going on. Absolutely not.”

Matt faced recent backlash for professionally vouching for a Weinstein Miramax associate — Fabrizio Lombardo — in 2004 to a reporter who was about to expose both Lombardo and Weinstein. The reporter found Lombardo, who was the Miramax head in Italy, also procured women for the movie mogul, but softened her story after getting calls from Matt Damon and Russell Crowe, who detailed their positive professional interactions with Lombardo, whom Matt had worked with on The Talented Mr. Ripley(1999).

Matt continued to assert he knew nothing about the extent of Weinstein’s sexual misconduct, saying Weinstein “didn’t do it out in the open.” He apologized if he did miss anything, saying, “If there was ever an event or something that I was at, in public with Harvey, and he was doing this kind of thing and I missed it? And there’s some woman who was somehow assaulted, and it was at the Golden Globes, and I somehow missed it? Then I’m sorry.”

George Clooney also claimed he was in the dark about Weinstein’s true nature. He recounted that Weinstein had told him about affairs he had with women in Hollywood, but that he never really believed him: “I didn’t really think that they were going to have affairs with Harvey, quite honestly. And clearly they didn’t.”

He continued by stating his anger at the fact that Weinstein was allowed to behave like this for so long: “But the idea that this predator, this assaulter was out there silencing women like that, it’s beyond infuriating. There has to be a comeuppance for all of this. All of the people who are part of that chain. We have to make it safe for people to feel that they can talk about this. And in doing that, I think that’ll scare away that kind of behavior.”

Trying to find the positive in the situation, George spoke about how he hopes having so much attention on the issue will help to make it easier for those affected to talk about it and make it more difficult for perpetrators like Weinstein to carry on. ~Alexa Caruso

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Comments & Discussion

Funny how many people know Weinstein and knew he was a womanizer and bully but this predator part shocks them….. seems par for the course.

Dwight Moore • December 23, 2017 @ 12:49 PM

The emotions of men and women affected by sexual abuse and exploitation are understandable. That’s why we have objective courts rather than a vigilante revenge system. Is it just to charge a person double for vehicle or a loaf of bread? ”Differing weights are an abomination to the LORD, And a false scale is not good.” Proverbs 20:23

Matt Damon’s point is not unreasonable, but George Clooney as producer could make a clarifying statement so it is clear that neither he nor Matt Damon tolerate the bum pat thing. That is, they should state that they will discipline any employee, male or female, according to the sverity of the offense. That may mean a wrtitten emplyment record with a warning, reporting to authorities, or termination of employment. In keeping with this, it is clear they shoukd not terminate Matt Damon from a movie contract for making a balanced statement.

Jim Georgantas • December 23, 2017 @ 8:34 PM

Now it seems we’ve reached the point where if you offer an opinion, you should be black listed.

Minerva Mae • December 24, 2017 @ 3:59 PM

Be VERY careful when navigating this new ocean where distinction between response, criticism and punitive measure is of course ‘necessary’ in order to be fully fair and just. It can Otherwise easily digress into smacking of Joe McCarthy-ism and a rush to severity of punishment over that of clarity and appropriate judgement. We ‘ALL’ share a blame in this new awareness and it’s unfortunate American history; this collectivity, where more than just tolerating the male behavior of “boys will be boys” is only one small example of an acute contribution to the growth of American manhood. And if there is truth in this, distinguishing between Al Franken’s dumb, offensive & unacceptable behavior – who should be severely reprimanded AND ‘then’ at least given a chance to demonstrate he ‘too’ admittedly err’d and is a man capable of inner contrition and outter redemption – as oppose to a rush toward fully alienating and exiling him to Seberia (for life!) – and that of ‘predatory’ (albeit serial) and any related history to premeditary activity that may be ingrained. So YES, distinction is VERY much a natural, ‘just’& humane
alternative to seriously consider (in the critical adjustment of punishment!)

Guity Deyhimy • December 25, 2017 @ 2:51 PM

Ladies (or should I say ‘women’): To what degree do you wish to extend this? Abuse of a man’s power, physically (and/or intellectually, I maintain) affecting a woman in a manner perceived as an unwanted sexual advance, is intolerable, the more so if it affects the professional relationship between the two, and should be punished to the full extent of the law in that event. But, ladies, why don’t you give some indicia of what behavior does not constitute something you object to, collectively, maybe a look, a whistle, an accidental passing, so people know exactly what interaction you demand? Yes, as a woman, I find it absolutely great that abusers such as Weinstein are outed and get what they deserve. But as a human being, I wonder how far your objections to a person’s views on the matter should punish that person? What if what Matt Damon said was in fact expressed by a woman? How would you punish the woman then? What if it was me? Why should I be punished for having a view different from yours?